Bride of the Solway (10 page)

Cassie thought there was still a hint of sadness in that smile. She knew, from that same gossip, relayed by Morag, that
Mrs
Anstruther's
condition had worsened very suddenly during the colonel's duty in London. He must feel it very much. Just as he must know that his wife's days were numbered.

'So, what would you wish to do, ma'am? I can offer you a tour of the garden and the succession houses this afternoon. Or, if you prefer, we could ride out to view the estate. I see that you have brought a magnificent horse with you. I should not have said he was a lady's mount, however.'

Cassie tried not to smile. 'Lucifer can be a bit mischievous when he is fresh, but I promise you, sir, that he has no vice in him.'

'Lucifer?' gasped the colonel.

'Yes, well.. .it seemed an appropriate name when he first came to me. He was rather more difficult then than he is now.' 'I see.' The colonel exchanged glances with Ross, but did not pursue the subject. 'So, what is it to be, ma'am?'

'It is such a beautiful day. I think, if I may, I should prefer to ride this afternoon for, who knows, tomorrow the weather may have changed. I can always view the gardens in the rain.' 'You are probably wise, ma'am.'

'And perhaps you could tell me of the garden plans as we go, Colonel? Then I should be prepared for tomorrow's treat.'

'Certainly, ma'am, I will do my best to oblige.'

'I am sure your knowledge of the estate' and the garden is very considerable, Colonel. It would be most interesting to learn from you.' Oh, dear, Cassie thought, the moment those words were out. Surely that was doing it too brown? Still, the colonel did not seem to have taken offence. He was beaming at her, but in rather a fatherly way. James would not be pleased to see that.

'You will accompany us, Captain Graham?'

'Certainly, sir, I should be delighted. Since we saw only a small part of the estate when we rode in yesterday, I am all agog to see the improvements you have been making elsewhere. I understand you have been trying some radical new ideas?'

'Not so radical. But Coke in Norfolk has some good notions for the improvement of stock. Whether they will translate from Norfolk to Galloway remains to be seen, but anything that might alleviate the poverty of the people here must be tried.'

'Is it so very
bad?'Ross
asked.

'I am afraid so. Oh, better now than, say, fifty years ago, but still bad. Would you not agree, Elliott?'

James Elliott had sat totally dumb throughout the meal. Now he said only, 'They have no one but themselves to blame. If they worked harder, they would eat better.'

His sister blushed bright red with embarrassment. 'Do you have both sheep and cattle, Colonel?' she enquired hastily.

'Yes, ma'am, I do. I find the local black cattle best adapted to the climate here. They are small, but they thrive. And they do make very good eating.' He gestured in the direction of the half-eaten sirloin on the sideboard. 'The black-faced sheep do well on the hills, where there is not enough grazing for cattle.'

Miss Elliott nodded. She was obviously knowledgeable about such things, perhaps more so than her callous brother.

An awkward silence now reigned. Eventually, Miss Elliott broke it by rising gracefully to her feet. 'If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I shall go and change. I shall be but twenty minutes. James, would you be so kind as to order Lucifer to be brought round? Tam took him to the stable.'

Elliott, who had risen to his feet along with the others, grunted an incomprehensible response.

Ross moved quickly to open the door for her. 'Twenty minutes, do you say, Miss Elliott?' he said quietly, raising his eyebrows at her. 'It sounds as though you are a more remarkable woman than I had imagined.'

She smiled serenely back at him. 'Prepare to be astounded, Captain Graham.'

And he was.

Precisely seventeen minutes later, a vision in a dark blue riding habit swept down the grand staircase and into the great hall. Ross had the sudden impression that the suits of
armour
along the walls were standing to attention to salute the arrival of a great lady.

It seemed all the more appropriate since Miss Elliott's habit was of a very severe military cut, with black
frogging
down the front. It looked, Ross thought suddenly, as if she had been sewn into it, for it showed off the contours of her delectable figure more clearly than the lowest-cut evening gown could have done. Miss Elliott certainly spent a great deal on her wardrobe, to judge by this habit, and the matching shako-style hat she wore. Ross had been out of the country for too long to know whether it was quite the latest mode, but that mattered not a whit. In that dark blue garb, which served only to highlight the intense
colour
of her eyes, she would be the envy of any woman. And the delight of any man.

She was certainly a delight to Ross's eye. No doubt about that.

A sudden qualm hit him in the pit of the stomach. He couldn't be attracted to Miss Elliott, could he? No, he wouldn't permit that to happen, no matter how beautiful she was. He had forsworn all entanglements with females. Julie had deceived him. He would not permit himself to be betrayed again. And certainly not by someone of Cassandra Elliott's stamp.' By all accounts, her family were little better than thieves and scoundrels.

Perhaps his own family had been the same? After all, there had been plenty of
reivers
in this part of Scotland. And smugglers, too. Until he discovered who and what his father had been, there would always be a nagging doubt that Ross was not truly entitled to call himself a gentleman. He would have to—

'Well, Captain Graham?' Her triumphant voice recalled him to the present.

'I concede, ma'am. As you predicted, I am astounded. And now, if you are ready, the horses are waiting outside. May I help you to mount?'

It was utterly delightful to be riding again, out in the open air. Cassie had not been on Lucifer's back since the night she was caught trying to escape across the Solway. The groom must have been exercising him in the meantime, for he was rather better behaved than she had expected.

She patted his glossy brown neck as she rode. 'Good boy. Good boy,' she cooed in his ear. 'You would show us just how well behaved you can be, wouldn't you? Good boy.'

'You and your horse seem to be in remarkable sympathy, Miss Elliott.' The colonel matched his horse's pace to Lucifer's walk.

'I think he is determined to prove all the gentlemen wrong. That he can be a lady's mount, even though he may not look it.'

'I am more than happy to admit that I was wrong in that, Miss Elliott. He does seem to have very easy manners.'

Cassie said nothing. She just smiled and stroked Lucifer's neck once more.

The colonel began to point out some of the interesting aspects of the estate. Over the following twenty minutes or so, Cassie learned a great deal about cattle, and sheep, and the liming of fields using shell marl. She also saw for herself something that the colonel did not mention. The workers' cottages were clean and neat, and very clearly well maintained. If there was dire poverty in Galloway, it was not to be found on Colonel
Anstruther's
estate. And the workers they met were always ready with a smile and a bright 'Good, afternoon'. There was none of the sullen silence that so often greeted James Elliott when he chanced upon his tenants. Not that such meetings happened often, for James Elliott rarely did the rounds of his own lands.

They had come, at last, to a broad hillside dotted with fat sheep, sweeping down to a glistening loch on the valley floor. 'Oh, how lovely it is,' Cassie exclaimed. 'Your estate is truly splendid, Colonel, and you are to be congratulated on the way you have managed it.'

'Not I alone. My dear wife deserves as much of the credit as I.'

'I have no doubt of it. And if she were here, I should be the first to say so. I hope you will tell her of my delight in what I have seen this afternoon.'

The colonel bowed his agreement.

'Colonel, might I tempt you to a gallop across this hillside? It is wonderfully alluring, and I am sure Lucifer is not the only one who is longing to stretch his legs.' Galloping might not be a very ladylike thing to do, but here there was no one to witness her transgressions, except James and Captain Graham who were dawdling a long way behind. She glanced quickly over her shoulder at them. The two men appeared to be riding in stony silence.

Cassie turned her attention back to the colonel and smiled up at him.

'I think that galloping across open country with a beautiful lady is a young man's prerogative,' he said, with a slightly sad smile. Without waiting for Cassie's reply, he turned in his saddle and called to Captain Graham, who spurred his horse forward to join them. 'Captain Graham, Miss Elliott has expressed a desire to gallop down to the loch. Perhaps you would be so good as to accompany her?'

Oh, dear. James would be furious. He would assume that this was Cassie's doing, rather than the colonel's. 'I... .I.. .had hoped that— Will you not accompany us also, Colonel?' she said in desperation.

'I am afraid not, Miss Elliott. This old horse of mine—' he stroked his horse's neck '—is long past doing more than a gentle amble. If I had thought you might wish to race, I should have brought out one of my younger horses. But this old fellow has served me well and deserves an outing now and then.'

Cassie nodded in sympathy. 'Ah, yes. When one has a
favourite
mount, it is difficult to give him up, even when he is getting old.'

'You have put your finger on my weakness, Miss Elliott. It is exactly so. Now, I suggest that you and Captain Graham make the most of the sunshine. I shall sit here and talk to your brother, ma'am, while you show me exactly what this Lucifer of yours can do.'

'Are you ready, ma'am?' the captain said. 'Are you for a gallop, or for a race?'

It was so tempting, but Cassie was in enough trouble already. 'A gallop, sir,' she said quickly, trying to frown at him. 'Surely you do not expect a lady to indulge in anything so vulgar as a horse race?' Behind her, Colonel Anstruther swallowed a laugh.

The captain, however, maintained his composure. 'Lead the way, ma'am, if you will.'

Cassie resolved to forget all about James and simply enjoy the moment. Gathering her reins, she touched Lucifer's flanks with her heel and her whip. In seconds, he was flying across the hillside.

Lucifer started off so swiftly that he had a twenty-yard start before Ross had even asked Hera to move a step. It might not be a race—though he doubted that—but Miss Elliott was certainly determined to show that her horse was capable of an amazing turn of speed. If he did not start soon, he would have no chance of catching them. Hera, too, was impatient to be off. She raced down the slope after Lucifer, the moment Ross gave her
her
head. 'Good girl. Let's show that devil ahead what a goddess can do, shall we?'

When they were about three-quarters of the way down the slope, Hera began to overhaul Lucifer. Ross could not believe it. It should not be happening. Something must be wrong. Lucifer was at least as fast as Hera, if not faster. Miss Elliott must be deliberately allowing Ross to catch her.

He was starting to come up with his quarry. Something was very wrong indeed. Miss Elliott, though the finest of horsewomen, was slipping in her saddle. The girth must be loose! She had managed to check the horse a little from his headlong gallop, but not enough for safety. Ross must stop them, or she would take a heavy fall. This time, she might really be hurt.

Ross urged Hera to a faster pace. In moments, she came fully alongside Lucifer. Then, dropping his reins and riding only with knees and heels, he stretched across the gap, grabbed Miss Elliott around the waist and pulled her roughly out of her saddle. 'Let go the stirrup,' he ordered sharply as he took her weight. But she had already done so. She must have known what he was about to do before he touched her. He lifted her into his lap with a sigh of relief. He had saved her.

He had reckoned without her stubbornness. Damn the woman! She was still holding Lucifer's reins. 'Let him go!' he cried. But she did not.

Hera could not possibly keep pace with Lucifer, now that she carried a double burden and he carried none. If Miss Elliott clung on to the reins, Lucifer would pull her out of Ross's grasp.

'Are you mad? Let go the reins!'

This time, she did. Ross slowed Hera's pace, but Lucifer galloped on down the hill. As he did so, the saddle slipped even more, until eventually it was almost hanging on the horse's side. That soon stopped his flight. No wonder. It must have felt very strange to him.

Ross settled Miss Elliot more comfortably in his lap and, reining Hera back to a walk, let her amble down to where Lucifer now stood, quietly cropping the grass at the edge of the loch, as if nothing untoward had happened. 'My dear Miss Elliott,' he said softly into her ear, suddenly conscious of how his breath fanned a tiny curl lying against her skin, 'you seem to have remarkably ill luck when you gallop Lucifer. I should have expected a horsewoman of your stamp to be more careful in the matter of girths.'

She was already white, but now became quite ashen. 'My brother—' She bit her lip and said nothing more.

So her brother had been responsible for the saddling of her horse. He would not have slackened the girths deliberately, would he? There could have been no way of knowing what would happen. She might have broken a leg. Or her neck.

Ross put that thought out of his mind, for it made him shudder. It was too wicked to contemplate. He forced himself, instead, to focus on how rewarding it was to be holding Miss Elliott so close. She was a most delicious armful. The skin on her cheeks was as fine as the finest peaches the colonel's succession houses might produce. Perhaps finer. And her subtle scent aroused all his senses. Lavender, was it? And perhaps a hint of citrus? He could not be sure, but he knew that, in the right circumstances, it would be intoxicating. He would love to hold her in his arms— in somewhere much less public than this open hillside—and explore just which parts of her beautiful body were responsible for that fragrance.

Her next words brought him back to earth. 'Sir, I think you should set me down.'

'Why? Would you rather walk than ride the two hundred yards to your mount?'

'It is most improper for me to be riding like this with a gentleman I barely know.'

He settled his arm more comfortably around her. He had absolutely no intention of letting her go. Not while he had the slightest excuse for continuing to hold her. 'Miss Elliott, there is no impropriety. Colonel Anstruther and your brother have been witnesses to everything that has happened. They will know, just as you do, that if I had not pulled you off Lucifer's back, you would have taken a nasty fall. You knew yourself that it was the only solution. You had your boot out of the stirrup already, had you not?'

'That was not in readiness for you, sir. I was simply making sure that Lucifer would not drag me along the ground once I had fallen off.'

Ross laughed, deep in his throat. 'But you still would not give up the reins, would you?'

'I would have. Eventually. I thought my weight would have stopped him quite quickly. It did before.'

Ross raised an eyebrow.

'And if he had not stopped, I would have let him go.'

'Glad to hear it, ma'am. It is good to see that you have learned some sense where that animal is concerned.'

'It was not his fault!' she protested hotly. 'You could see perfectly well that it was not. The saddle was slipping and, because we were galloping downhill, it was impossible for him to stop.' ,
      
.

Ross was silent for a moment. In fact, there was some truth in what she said. The circumstances had been very difficult. He doubted he would have been able to do any better, in her place. 'Miss Elliott, did you say your brother checked your horse's girths?'

'I...' She was blushing again. 'I thought he did, but perhaps it was Tam. My brother is a good horseman. He would not have made such a mistake. Tam will be lucky to escape with just harsh words over this.'

She had avoided Ross's eyes as she spoke. He was sure—almost sure—that she did not believe a word of it. Did she really think he would be so easily fooled?

Cassie was very glad to be back in her own saddle on her own horse. She was safe enough now. Captain Graham had adjusted the saddle and checked the girths most carefully before throwing her up once more.

At least he had not touched her body again. Those few hundred yards they had ridden together had been most unsettling. The subtle scent of him—soap and leather and a hint of cologne—teased at her senses still. She had felt all sorts of tingles and urges that she was sure no lady should feel—or at least, should admit to feeling. His warm breath tickling her ear had sent shivers down her spine. His strong right arm, settled around the front of her waist as if it belonged there, had made her insides glow like rippling quicksilver. And after he had dismounted, there had been an
unmistakeable
glint in his eyes when he put his hands to her waist to lift her down. She was no lightweight, but to him she had seemed to weigh no more than a feather. And when she slid down into his arms, she had felt almost.. .caressed. For a second or two, she had been unable to breathe.

Yes, she was much safer on her own horse. Safer from herself.

'Do you feel well enough to ride back now, ma'am?'

'Of course, sir. Did you expect that I would not be?' Cassie was annoyed to hear a tiny hint of a quiver in her voice. If she had been alone, she would have cursed aloud. Instead, she just hoped that Captain Graham would blame it on her near disaster. Better for him to think her a weak woman than to suspect the real cause of that catch in her voice.

Her precarious composure had been much too strongly affected by
thai
short ride in his arms. Whereas he—obviously just as insensitive as most men she knew—seemed to have noticed nothing at all out of the ordinary.

At that moment, James Elliott reached them at the gallop. Colonel Anstruther was trailing some way behind, on his old, slow horse. 'Cassie! Are you hurt? What happened? It looked as if—' 'My saddle girths were loose,' she said flatly, trying to conceal her anger from Captain Graham. She would confront James, but not until they were alone.

'Tarn!' James said, with venom. 'I'll have his hide. He could have killed you.'

'Well, he did not. Thanks to Captain Graham's quick thinking.' She smiled at her rescuer. 'I am truly grateful to you, sir.' She then turned to James, throwing him a meaningful look. She was determined that her brother would swallow his spite and behave properly. 'James?'

'Ah, yes, of course. Thank you, sir, for saving my sister. If you had not been close by, she would certainly have taken a bad fall. We are both most grateful.'

'I am only glad I was near enough to save you, ma'am. Now, had we not best be returning? Look, here is the colonel at last. He will wish to be reassured that you have come to no harm.'

The captain had not responded to James, Cassie noted. His words had been clearly directed to her. But she had no opportunity to ponder the J reason for that snub, for the colonel was upon them and she had to e \ -plain her misadventure all over again. J

'Did you deliberately loosen my girth?' :

'Of course not. Why would I do such a dangerous thing? Tarn must have—'

'Tarn was nowhere near my horse and we both know it. I saw you by him, James. I thought you were tightening the girths. Now I see that it was nothing of the sort. I know you detest me, but why try to kill me?' .',v 'I was not trying to kill you, you stupid wench. I was only—'

Cassie tried to control the anger that boiled up into her throat. She had
 
j suspected him, but she had never believed he would admit it. Now, she knew for certain. 'You must have had some other reason, then. Perhaps you would care to share it with me?' She kept her tone low and measured. It was not easy.

James ran his hand through his hair and started to pace about the colonel's library. 'It was a perfectly sensible thing to try. I knew you would feel the saddle slipping and take action to save yourself from real harm. You are too good a rider to do otherwise. I thought you might have a few bruises, be winded, that sort of thing.'

'But why?'

'Good God, Cassie, have you no brains between those pretty ears of yours? To extend this visit, of course. If you were injured, however slightly, Colonel Anstruther would have had to offer you hospitality until you were recovered. He would have had to stay here with you. And he would have been concerned about your injuries. It would have brought you closer to him.'

Cassie groaned. She could not help herself, for she was beginning to wonder whether James was totally sane. She had thought his previous cruelties were the result of his hatred of her, and of his desperate need for money to pay his mounting debts, but now she was no longer sure. He was obsessed with this mad idea of marrying her off to Colonel Anstruther. Did obsession lead to lunacy?

James was no longer paying any attention to Cassie. He seemed not to have noticed her distress. He continued to pace, muttering under his breath.

For the first time, Cassie was really frightened. Before, she had been afraid that he might force her to marry some terrible drunken crony of his, if he could find one who was wealthy enough. She had tried to flee, but she had always known that, even if she were dragged to the altar, there was still a chance that she might be able to persuade the minister that she was being married against her will.

But from this madness, there might be no escape. Not alive.

She must get away. Her only hope was to reach her godfather on the other side of the Solway. This time she must plan carefully. She must wait until James was away from
Langrigg
House. Preferably lying drunk in some whorehouse.

This time there must be no risk that she would be caught.

It was still very light when they sat down to dinner, for the colonel liked to keep country hours. 'It would make no difference in any case,' he said, in response to Cassie's comment. 'We could sit down at eight o'clock, or even nine, and it would still be light at this time of the year. I must admit it was something I missed, when we were in Spain. Darkness seemed to fall so early and so quickly. I missed the twilight. Did you find the same, Graham?'

'The contrast with my home in southern England is not so great, sir. So I have to admit that I barely noticed the difference.'

'Perhaps you were too busy looking for somewhere to drink tea, sir?' Cassie asked mischievously.

Ross was surprised into a burst of laughter. 'Forgive me, Colonel. Something of a private joke. When Miss Elliott called on your wife in Dumfries, she created a fantastic image in her mind of young officers, sitting around the camp fire, sedately drinking bowls of tea. I told her, of course,' he continued with a half-smile, 'that we suffered nothing but the
cruellest
hardships and that polite tea-drinking played no part in army
manoeuvres
. But she would have none of it.'

The colonel smiled indulgently. 'I see. You would be wise not to believe the half of what young officers tell you, Miss Elliott. Notoriously unreliable, particularly when their aim is to bring wonder to a pair of pretty blue eyes.'

Was the colonel flirting with her? Cassie looked across the table to where James sat, alongside Captain Graham. James was looking particularly pleased. He must think his plans were making real progress. Could he not see the difference between fatherly concern and a lover's admiration? Captain Graham, sitting on the colonel's immediate left, was showing neither. For the moment, he seemed to be giving all his attention to the dishes set before them and to the colonel's exceptionally fine wine.

Cassie wondered again, for perhaps the hundredth time, whether she could and should confide in Captain Graham about her plans. He had saved her once—twice, if she included this afternoon's accident—and he knew just how evil James could be. But, if he helped her again, in something so serious, he might truly fall foul of the law. It was so very difficult. The truth was that, if she was to have any chance of success, Cassie needed some money. There was none to be had at
Langrigg
House, so her only option was to borrow. And the only possible sources of a loan were Colonel Anstruther and Captain Graham. There was no one else.

Cassie's stomach churned yet again at the prospect of asking either of those gentlemen for money, even as a loan. How could she possibly explain it? And what would they think of her? A lady must never take anything from a gentleman, unless he were related to her. A posy of flowers, perhaps, but nothing more. No jewels, or dresses, or other fripperies, and certainly no money. If she had had jewels of her own, it might have been possible to sell them, or pawn them. But she had nothing.

'A little more wine, Miss Elliott?'

'Er...just a little. Thank you, Colonel.' She told herself sternly to pay more attention. Daydreaming at the colonel's dinner table, even on so important a subject, would merely bring more of James's wrath upon her head. She must appear to be doing everything possible to ensnare her host. Then James might relax his vigilance a little. It needed only a little.

The second course had just been set out on the long table. 'May I help you to a little of this
Rhenish
cream, ma'am?'